§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the results of the experiment conducted whereby on-line computer access to the Department of Health and Social Security general index was available to his Department's staff; and if he will describe what national insurance number tracing facilities will be available to his Department's staff when the planned terminal replacement and inquiry system is operational.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe experiment showed that on-line tracing of national insurance numbers in unemployment benefit offices is a practicable and effective alternative to the present clerical tracing arrangements which exist between UBOs and DHSS Newcastle records.
On-line tracing facilities for national insurance numbers will not be available to unemployment benefit offices when the terminal replacement and inquiry service is first installed, but will be made available once the DHSS operational strategy departmenal central index is operational, which is currently planned for late 1987.
In the meantime, my Department is considering with DHSS a limited extension at regional level of the pilot tracing system to the existing DHSS general index.